By now we are quite certain there will never be one microblogging platform that everyone will use. Based on the features that each type of audience wants or needs, there will always be a space for another platform to fill. The people behind Edmodo, a private microblogging platform built for use by teachers and students, are working to create a tool that meets the unique criteria for the education sector.

The problem with traditional microblogging tools like Twitter and Pownce in a k-12 classroom environment is that there are concerns over privacy. According to its creators, “Edmodo has been built with the privacy of students in mind.”

More Than Just Microblogging

Edmodo provides a way for teachers and students to share notes, links and files. Teachers also have the ability to send alerts (140 characters or less), events (that are displayed on a calendar) and assignments to students. Edmodo also has a public component built by allowing teachers to post any privately shared item to a public timeline and RSS feed.

Edmodo Gives You Lots of Options

Once you get into the system (as a teacher) it seems like there are lots of different things you can do, and there are, but I can see it being somewhat confusing for somewhat who is not as technologically savvy as the average microblogging user. What I would love to see is some sort of screencast walkthrough that points out all of the options and how to use them.

Take Advantage of this New Age Tool

For the forward thinking teacher who is looking to try something new, take a look at Edmodo and think about how you might be able to use it in your class. Even for those who aren’t so brave, don’t rule Edmodo out. Learning how to use it shouldn’t be any different than any other classroom management tool.

Are there any teachers out there currently using Edmodo in their classroom? We’d love to hear your story.